


Of Mirrors and Redemption Served Cold

by orphan_account



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone Has Issues, Gen, I don't actually know Norwegien but I try, Mirror mirror mixed with the end and I guess a little of everything else, Parallel Universes, in which Bing and Larry actually have an affect on the plot, lots of implied ptsd, post-The End, robot arm tord, switching POVs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-08-23 01:58:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8309386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A tale of two men trying to bring their leader back to his former health.A tale of three men trying to decide where things went wrong.A tale of one man's realization that not everything can be solved with guts alone.A tale of one leader trying to reconcile with her actions.A tale of three women trying to restore order.A tale of two men fending off the past.A tale of two women simply following orders.A tale of one parasite feeding off of it all.





	1. Alcohol and Commies

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is gunna jump point of views a lot but it should be immediately obvious who it is at the beginning of the chapter anyway.  
> I sincerely apologise to all the Norwegian Eddsworld fans that will cringe at my Google-Translate Norwegian phrases lmao.  
> ~enjoy!

  A lone smoker leaned, back against the cold walls of the Red Army fortress. His head was just barely shy of reaching the barbed wire ornamenting the top of the stone wall. He was relatively tall, after all, he was one of the Red Leader's finest soldiers (his ability to co-pilate a plane was something he could not brag for, however).

  The cloudy tobacco substance escaped through his lips. As the soldier leaned his head back against the fortress, a chilled night's breeze grabbed at his long blue over coat. He could stay out here for hours, just thinking and smoking. He knew he should quit, of course, however at the moment he had relapsed into the habit. Times were bad. And he was only a man, after all.

   _"Paul, did he speak to you yet?"_

Paul jerked forward with a curse, the matted hair entangled in the wire tugging at his scalp. The chewed cigarette flew from his mouth as he yelped in pain and surprise.

   _"Jævla Patryk! Warn me before you go sneaking around!"_

 Patryk laughed until tears came to his face at his companion's sour expression. Paul gave in with a reluctant chuckle, after all, they needed all the good moments they could get. Otherwise the stress may become too much for the two of them to bear. 

  He sighed, finally responding to his partner. 

  _"He spoke to me, yes. Wanted to know why I've been so 'secretive' lately. As if he hasn't been himself. He accused me of being a traitor,"_ Paul grimaced.  _"Me! Of all people. I'm not sure what would have happened if he got any more worked up. He almost killed me as it was."_

 _"Dritt."_ Patryk shook his head, his styled hair tangling in the harsh winds. " _He's getting worse each day. If Tor- er, the Red Leader, continues this, he may lose the entire army."_

_"I know, Patryk,, but what can we do? He's completely unreasonable in this state. I know he's still grieving over the...robot, incident, but...well, what can we do."_

  The two stood in silence, for a moment, pondering the very question. Patryk spoke up.

    _"At least he is still showing mild interest in old habits. Today he asked me for the news. Not political, plotting news, just...regular old news."_

_"What did you tell him?"_

_"It was strange, but he was very interested in those mirrors."_

_"The what?"_

_"You know, in the news lately? Something about shops finding more magic mirrors than usual...I only skimmed it for him, but he seemed interested, anyway. You know how he was always talking about his ridiculous adventures with his old room mates.... And his eyes seemed to light up, when I told him. He was thinking again, rationally."_

_"Do you think getting his mind off the accident would help?"_

_"Honestly, we can't be certain of anything. But speaking from the heart....if I had betrayed the people who I talked about enough to be family, completely wrecked half of my face, and lost my right arm...I'd certainly want some busy work."_

 Paul nodded, his gaze fixed on the ground. The familiar nawing feeling in his stomach still wouldn't leave, there were still so many uncertainties. He reached into his cigarette box, paused, then smiled up at his partner. At least he wouldn't have to spend the night alone. He would let he morning worry for itself.

  " _Come on, Patryk, it's getting colder out. I've been storing an old bottle of vodka in my closet for a day such as this."_

_"Hahaha! Of course, Paul, you would suggest a drink. Still, after all this, vi **fortjener litt alkohol."**_

 


	2. The Greatest Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up getting cuter and happier than I expected....  
> -Thanks for reading everyone!

  **Knock, knock, knock.**

**...**

  Tom sighed as he wrapped his knuckles on the firm apartment door. There was a faint groan on the other side.

_"....hey Edd?"_

_"The door's unlocked, Tom."_

   The door swung open almost soundlessly as Tom entered Edd's home. Glancing around briefly, the room was dark, with the shades drawn and a barely functioning green lamp providing the only lighting. He sucked in a deep breath seeing the normally chipper Brit laying forlorn on his couch, phone in hand. His hair was unkempt, and he had probably been laying in the same position for hours. 

   Tom hated it when his friend got this down. He hated it even more knowing exactly what he had been occupying his time with. He strode across the room, laying his thin torso across the couch so his face was only a few inches from Edd's. He snatches the phone from his lap, ignoring his protests. 

  When the house was destroyed, so had most pictures of Tord. But one still remained on Edd's phone. It was actually a group picture of all of them, but the red-themed Norwegian stuck out the most, in Tom's opinion. He still had that devilish grin, holding out a peace sign with his left hand. Ironic. He was also attempting to block out Tom's face from the picture. Edd, always the self-designated peacemaker, had only laughed at Tord's "joke" when he saved the photo.

   Actually, Edd's phone had housed two pictures of Tord before. One time before the robot incident, Tom had caught Edd's looking at them. He had missed Tord, and Tom was having none of it.  _"Quit thinking about old Commie, he's long gone,"_ he had said. He deleted the second picture, and regretted it for the rest of the day when he saw Edd's hurt expression. He didn't touch Edd's phone for a whole month. So Edd only had one photo to remember the absentee by.

   _"Tom?"_

The eyeless Brit snapped out of his daydream. He looked down at his friend's eyes. Dark circles wrapped around them.

     _"You should really take a break, Edd."_

_"...Ha....."_

   Edd slowly moved up into a sitting position. Tom took the opportunity to swing his legs over the sofa, rolling over the back of it to plop down, his face landing on Edd's chest with a short _, "OOF!"_ He looked up, trying his best to imitate the 'puppy face' Matt had mastered so well, sticking out his tongue in the way he had seen Ringo do before when the cat had wanted food or affection from Edd.

  It had the desired effect. Edd started chuckling in a giggle-snort sort of fashion, his stomach vibrating with the force of his laugher. 

   _" 'Cute' doesn't suit you Tom....."_

_"I don't see any complaints."_

_"You idiot...."_

He sighed. Tom sat up, fixing Edd under his persistent gaze.

   _"Tell me the truth Edd... You still miss him, don't you."_

_"...I should hate him. I'm angry that he destroyed the house, and killed Jon, and tried to kill you, I am...."_

_"But?"_

_"..Ha....ha.......I don't know....."_

Edd wrung his hands anxiously, not wanting to break the silence he had left.

   _"Listen Edd....just, you don't have to act happy about this. When your feeling bad, just walk up to me, or Matt I guess, and say, 'Hey, guys, I feel bad today,'_ Tom said this in his best ( ~~worst~~ ) Edd imitation.

   _"It's not the easy...I mean, I know I should talk to you guys about it, and I do! But...."_ Edd paused.  _"Sometimes...well...I don't even think I know that I'm sad."_

_"..."_

_"It's true! I just start thinking...about happy stuff, and then I think about how Tord used to do something funny, and I just.....start thinking about what happened...."_

_"...Edd."_

_"....."_

_"Just promise me you'll find...someone to talk to. Anyone. I'd like it to be me, but..."_ Tom sighed for the second time.  _"I know I'm not always the greatest friend...."_

_"....Tom."_

_"This seems familiar."_

_"....do you really think that?_

_"Come on, Edd..."_

_"Tom."_

_"...what?"_

_"I couldn't ask for greater friends than you and Matt...You know that right?"_

_"I think I'm supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around."_

_"You've stayed by me since the very beginning. Tom..."_ Edd grinned. " _You were my first fan. Back in grade school, remember? You looked at my drawing."_

_"Geeze, Edd, you remember that?"_

_"You guys'll always be the greatest friends."_

 

 

  


	3. King of Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: How To Be A Paranoid Leader.

  Tord shuffled through the newspapers on his desk, looking for the most recent political news, any political weaknesses he could find a way to exploit. Three months he had spent nursing his wounds at the army base, installing his robotic arm implant, treating the still-very apparent scars on his face, and thinking the whole situation over play-by-play. He came to the conclusion that the things he said are very much still true.

  For one, he very much does not need friends. In fact, deeper than this, friends are a liability and weakness. After all, just thinking about Edd, Tom, and Matt had been keeping him from his work. And for what? The three were perfectly fine without him, and have probably forgotten his existence. If they were moving on he must move on with his plans for the Red Army.

  Despite the urgent need to make an active move, however, he found his mind wandering. The articles he read changed from Romania's spreading plague to the mysterious theft of the clothing of Sheriff Thompson's figurine in a small British museum. He eventually stumbled on an add for the booming business of bacon flavored cola. That was a thing now?

  He was thinking about Edd again. He wouldn't deny that he missed the adventures, and even the constant fighting. Things had changed, however, and even before he destroyed the house the group dynamic had changed. When he broke in, he was greeted with a hug and not the expected scolding from Edd. Matt smiled and greeted the stranger he had forgotten, instead of the scoff and look of frustration Tord would have received before he left. Honestly, the only part of Edd's home that hadn't changed drastically was Tom. Even then, he was definitely very possessive of Edd and Matt, which showed a deeper caring than Tord remembered from old Jehovah.

  Why did this matter to him? The only way he could move on was if he shut all of this out of his mind. 

  

   **Knock Knock Knock**

 

_"Red Leader, sir."_

_"Come in, Paul."_

Tord's two most  ~~trusted~~  influencial soldiers stepped cautiously into his office. He had spent the last three months thinking about them, as well. Paul and Patryk had become almost like friends to the Red Leader during their years together, which was mostly why he had promoted them to the closest positions to his own. But, as he said before, friends are dangerous. And after his tragic mistake, the two officers had been drowned in work trying to cover for his absence. It was unfair to them, being given the work of a leader with none of the power that came with it. Not to mention their close relationship with each other meant they would always back each other up. One top of everything else, they were well liked by most of the army for their skills, fairness, and charismatic personalities. 

   **It was the perfect recipe for a leadership coup.**

_"Sir, we have some important matters to discuss, if now is a good time. We know you are very busy-"_

_"Shoot, Patryk."_

_"'Shoot' sir?"_

_"It's an expression. Why are you here? Make it quick."_

_"Sir, we made contact with a small newsstation in Britain who would like to interview you, if you agree to it, which would spread your publicity positively and further our-"_

_"Let me get this straight...you want me to go to a country that I just almost got arrested for criminal activity in, and face the possibility of being attacked in, for a news report?"_

Pauk spoke up to fill in for Patryk's speechlessness.  _"Well sir, we would never put this mission in danger purposefully, which is why we made sure there are plenty of security precautions which you can look over here-"_

 _"You know what **I** think?" _ He smiled his most unsettling smile, the one he had perfected for threatening world leaders. His canines glinted in the dim room, and the two soldiers were clearly uncomfortable.  _"I think you want me to go to that famed country for your own benefit. Do you remember the contract we made so long ago? The one that says if I die, you two would take my place?"_

Patryk found his tongue again.  _"Sir, you know we have know interest in-"_

**_"SILENCE!!"_ **

 

  Patryk stopped talking. Tord fixed his gaze on Paul.

   _"Paul, you were on the team that helped me design my arm."_ He pulled up his sleeve, revealing the entire length of the bright red metal contraption. 

   _"...I was, sir."_

_"Tell, me, what specific feature did I both require and supervise the installation of?"_

_"...the self destruction equipment, sir."_

_"Of course, I wasn't awake for all of it, but I had you record the process so I could judge your work afterwards. What was the sensor attached to?"_

_"......"_

 Tord's persistent grin widened. _"My heart, of course. Tell me, how does the system work?"_

_"...Sir, I-"_

_"Tell me."_

_"....When your heart ceases to beat, the signal will reach the stimuli....causing the arm to create a controlled explosion causing damage to people up to ten feet away-"_

_**"Excellent.** I will consider you're proposal." _Tord allowed his face to relax back to a neutral expression.  _"However, when I go, both of you will remain beside me at all times. **Forstått**?_

_"Forstått, Red Leader, sir."_

_"Thank you Paul. Thank you Patryk. Now if you excuse me, I will get back to work."_

  Tord resumed reading as the study door closed shut.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toorrdd trust your lackeys they're just trying to help :-(
> 
> Sorry if this chapter seems rushed, I had to re-write it after accidentally deleting it the first time and didn't really research how an actual arm bomb would work.  
> Also I tried to mix Norwegian and English again so that probably is really cringey
> 
> -thank you for reading!


	4. *insert snarky chapter title here*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul and Patryk prepare to go on a perfectly ordinary journey to England and definitely don't fill their suitcases with guns.

_"Paul, how many uniforms will we need for this trip?"_

_"I'm going to make a laundry rush halfway through, so only pack enough for two or three days."_

  The Red Leader's finest soldiers were having a very ordinary day. The woke up at their usual times, carried out their usual morning duties, and ate their usual morning breakfast. However, they were planning for no ordinary trip, if any mission the two were assigned to could be considered ordinary. Specifically unusual about the trip was the fact that they would both be staying in the same hotel suit as their captain of the army. 

  They both would be on their best behavior. 

  Tord was still as passively hostile as ever, and the two knew that when he had his mind hell-bent on something, it would be done. In a way, they were still relieved. After months of silence and brooding, his honor was at last making a tactical advance, which would bring back the confidence of his restless army. 

  And, they both hoped, once this trip was over perhaps the Leader's paranoid phase would pass. Once he saw his men were trustworthy and proactive, he would feel more like himself. So the two were prepared to do whatever nessassary to ease his worries, even if it meant staying with the man while he was still on the brink of lashing out. 

   _"Are all the emergency evacuation helicopters ready?"_

_"The five we could spare, sure."_

_"Patryk, tell me the truth..."_

_"Hmmmm?"_

_"....Do you think he'll ever trust us again?"_

  Patryk paused, turning around to face his partner.

   _"I have hope. Nothing is for certain."_

_"....I'll latch onto that."_

  Paul's thick eyebrows furrowed as Patryk set back to work. He crept silently over to his drawer, reaching for his second-to last pack of cigarettes. 

   _"Put them back, Paul."_

_"What?"_

_"I know what you keep in that drawer. You need to cut back."_

_"....I'm just saving them for the trip."_

_"Nice try. I saw you sneaking the other pack in your duffle earlier."_

_"Hæhæhæ. Du kjenner meg godt."_

_"If our leader is going to abuse his health, we should be careful not to follow."_

Despite his strict tone, he was saying this with a smile.

The two had never expected to become involved in an army bent on controlling the known world. They hadn't even really planned spend so much time together in their positions.

  But the world had a strange sense of humor, and somehow the most unkempt man _(Patryk would kindly say that he focuses on bringing out he beauty in his art and his work, but honestly Paul could go a week without showering and not see a difference)_ had been paired almost constantly with a soldier who couldn't go a day without ironing his uniforms and styling his hair. _(Paul personally thought it looked like bird's wings. He would never say this, however. Patryk was a fierce man when it came to personal fashion.)_  Still, the two managed to be strongest when together, as Patryk was logical and orderly, but Paul had perhaps more skill than most of the army combined when it came to cleaning wounds and repairing mechanics with a steady hand.

  The two fought often, but knew they owed each other their lives. And they wouldn't have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I've mentioned Patryk's hair in the first chapter, but I never gave Paul's eyebrows the respect they deserve. Even Patryk recognizes their beauty. The entire army worships them. Paul could form his own army just out of the respect people have for his eyebrows. I need to write about his eyebrows more often.  
> In all seriousness, I never really intended for their to be an order in how my pov's jump, but here we are. I guess it will be nice to have predictable pov's so enjoy, I guess.  
> -Thanks for reading!


	5. Scrub a dub dub three men in absolute confusion and dread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm stressed.

   Tom was awoke on to five clustered knocks on his door.

  " _Tom? Toooommmmm-"_

_"JEEZ MATT IT'S- ...three a.m...."_

_"Please come over, Tom....Edd amd I were-"_

_"What were you and Edd up doing at **THREE. A. M.????"**_

   Matt released a string of explanation. _"Well, w-we were just watching the news, and then Edd got really upset, I mean he just looks upset, and I think it's about Todd-"_

_"I'm coming."_

  The Brit grunted as he shoved himself out of the cheap mattress he had been able to afford. He opens the door on a rather disheveled-looking Matt, although Tom knew he must look worse from the uncomfortable position he had been sleeping in.

  The two traversed their way though the hallway, a firm silence between them. Neither new how to break it. To be honest, their wasn't ever really much they had to say to each other, especially before Matt's memories were wiped. Back then, it had sort of been everyone, Tom, Matt, Tord, fighting over Edd. They all sent to each other the feeling they weren't wanted.

  And here Tom was, thinking about the past again.

  Things had changed for the better after Tord left, but even with Matt's new personality there wasn't anything the two shared in common. It was't that he disliked Matt, other than his irriation at some of the ginger's antics. They both _now_ knew how to avoid getting in each other's way when it came to their relationship with Edd.

  The television glared in sharp contrast to the only blackness in Edd's apartment. Tom marched over to the silhouette that sat motionless on the couch, staring at the screen. Matt left to make popcorn and collect himself. 

   _"The Red Leader appears to be making his move into Britain two days from now under grand amounts of security,"_  A small, tanned news reporter calmly explained. A picture of Tord was cropped next to him on the screen. It was the same picture Tom had discovered on the wanted poster, with Tord's face displayed cold and irritated, a large rifle splayed back on his left shoulder.  _"Other than this, the Red Army has been unusually quiet for the past few months. Any other news will be broadcasted as we receive it. Now, back to you, Lennie."_

 _"...I decided to turn on the news, because I haven't been for awhile,"_ Edd's face looked pale in the glow room. He wouldn't make eye contact with Tom.  _"But this was on.. I can't believe it."_

_"He's alive."_

_"Yeah."_

_"How do you feel?"_

_"....tired."_

_"Me too."_

   Matt slipped into he room silently. He placed the bowl of snacks in between Tom and Edd, and strode over to the unoccupied side of the couch next to Tom. He sat with his hands on his chin, leaning over his lap, his wide eyes viewing the screen. A broad-shouldered man was explaining something about weather patterns, not that anyone in the room really cared.

Edd sat brewing in silence. Tom glared blankly at the screen for a moment. Then he spoke.

_"He's awful."_

Edd looked up. He opened his mouth to defend Tord, the way he had done so many times before. 

  Then he closed his mouth. Tom looked over in pity. Edd slid over, and Tom lifted his arm slowly. He wrapped his arm over Edd's shoulders. 

  Matt looked over, locking his eyes on the two, and leaching off of their knowledge.

 _"Do_ _you think he wants anything from us?...._ _He's not coming here to steal another robot is he?_ _He couldn't, right?"_

 _"...No."_ Edd finally answered. His eyes moved to the floor.  _"He's completely done with us. He threw us away before, remember?"_  His gazed lifted, and he drilled into Tom's void of vision. _"He's probably laughing right now. He said it himself. He was never our friend."_

 _"....Edd?"_ Tom was speechless. Edd continued his spill.

   _"....I'm sorry for never listening to you guys."_ He burrowed himself in Tom's arm.  _"....is it such a crime for me to want things to have worked out?"_

Tom shook his head quietly.  _"I wish I hadn't been right."_

_"No, you don't."_

_"Well...ok, I'm glad that he's gone. But only because he was trying to push me out,"_ Tom sighed.  _"But....he's obviously moved on. So....screw him?"_

Matt snorted. Edd chuckled from his Tom-cave.

   _".....you guys are great."_ Edd removed his head from Tom's armpit. 

   _"Thank you both."_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can guess what book I read :/  
> Of Mice and Men was great  
> The loads of classwork that came with it are not.  
> Kill me.  
> I couldn't think of a way to end this but I accidentally hit publish, so ACCEPT IT, DAMN IT!!! I'M STRESSED!!!!  
> -Thanks for reading!


	6. Shouldn't have eaten pizza before bedtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little less stressed, but a little more stressed.

Tord felt cold. 

  Tord stared into the dark.  **The dark stared back.**

  He looked, and as he watched the emptiness took a shape. A man stood before him with cold, grey eyes, so grey, and empty, yet full of  ** _life!_** The face was rugged, and covered in familiar scars. Everything was familiar, same firm jawline, same messy hair style, same scowl and _light and dark and light and dark brown-_

  He couldn't move his eyes, but he was sure it had his robotic arm, because it  ** _reached out and grabbed his hand, so cold, and cold, and cold...._**

 _It was his face_  staring back at him, _but it was different, older, more lines, more wrinkles, so, so tired, so tired, and tired..._

   and he couldn't look away, no he couldn't move,  **he couldn't look away from what he created.**

Then his double smiled, and **what a terrible smile it was** , predatory and he felt the same fear he had instigated on others so so . So many times.

**_"Hello, Tord."_ **

  Tord couldn't speak to the creature, but he was sure it understood him.

   ** _"Come with me."_**

 Tord wasn't sure if he had a choice.

   _ **"You don't."**_

  Well that settled it.

  It tightened it's grip on his hand, wrenching it forward, and suddenly the life came back to his body.  _He screamed and writhed and turned but he couldn't leave it was his fate to watch and speak but the words were predestined chosen by his own folly_

They came to a dark place, no matter how lighter it was than the darkness of before. Rain splattered down on the pavement beneath their feet as they began to walk. Tord grew numb again in the silent patter of their steps in the alleyway.

  What alleyway?

   _ **"Look very closely Tord."**_

  Oh. There was a large frame propped against the **dark** white walls. His legs moved without his beckoning, carrying him towards the framed mirror that had no dominion in such a drab and dreary place. 

  The older Tord stood behind him, his cold hand places firmly on the midsection of Tord's back  _as though he could run from this_

 Tord looked in the mirror. 

  At first, his eyes seemed to blur, and his vision faded. 

  He blinked.

  And blinked.

  And then he saw them.

  At first it was Matt in the mirror, and he gasped as he was shoved closer, his hands connecting with the formless glass. His vision shifted, and he saw Tom, and his fist nearly reached his face before he vanished, and it was Edd in his face.

  Tord screamed.

  And suddenly, the glass failed to hold him back and he fell, further and further into the mirror, the sound of his own laughter deafening out four separate screams.

  And as he fell, Edd fell with him. 

   Edd changed, he grew a beard and his hair grew long and shaggy. But his  **eyes** changed the most, they filled with hatred and sorrow and finally nothing as he spoke that

   _"Tom tried to stop you. I shouldn't have let you in. What am I to you, but a tool for your own gain?"_

  Tord couldn't find the words to say. They say on his lips, but he couldn't comprehend them. Edd laughed.

   _"Well, keep them from me. Both of them. All of them. Keep yourself, I don't want you anymore."_

  Tord reached out, and as Edd faded away from his empty grasp he finally whispered the words he had forgotten. He whispered them hard as he felt his body break apart across the lonely air.

   _"My friend."_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes I am still here  
> My writing is quickly declined and I keep publishing it before it is finished oops


	7. Difficulty.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I use Google translate for the 1000th time and scare everyone away

  Patryk tugged at his uniform, pulling it straight and tight across his frame. Several minutes ticked by. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and stared hard against the opposing wall outside the Red Leader's private courters. The soundproof metal door revealed no secrets to the conversation inside. He muttered in distaste as he glanced down at the wrinkles forming from the bulge his hands created inside the tight jacket. He pulled them out of the pockets, and smoothed out his uniform again. 

  He ran his fingertips through both sides of his styled hair.

   _"Hva tar så mye tid?"_

   Another minute strolled silently by. 

  Then another.

  A group of soldiers on patrol passed their superior with a quick salute.

  Their unanimous footsteps faded away to silence.

  Patryk waited. The air seemed colder than usual. He tugged his coat tighter around his motionless body. 

  Finally, the door clicked open. Patryk turned his head to face a haggard Paul, who shook his head speechlessly.

   _"He had some sort of night terror. His room's a mess."_

_"Is he in sound mind now?"_

_"Barely."_

 Patryk let out a moody sigh, turning his head to break eye contact from his partner. _"I suppose we will have to cancel the trip today."_

 _"It's a shame, really,"_  Paul exhaled smoke from a cigarette he had sneaked into his mouth. " _I had hoped that getting some momentum going would pull him out of this depression._ _But he can't go to England in this paranoid condition."_

The smoker joined Patryk against the wall with a defiant  **thud.** A mutual silence hung from the stale air as they brooded over the situation.

   _"Have you considered hiring an expert?"_

_"...you mean therapy? I'm not sure if he would trust them, if we could find someone who was agreeable enough to set up work in a military base."_

  Patryk nodded in response. The two continued to contemplate in silence. Tord had always been an enigma, and it now rested firmly on the two's overworked shoulders to bring their leader out of his mind.

  Their answer came through a deft opening of the Red Leader's door. He was clad in his standard Red Army uniform, hair combed as neatly as his hair could be, a stiff smile on his face as he faced his second-in-commands. 

  Patryk fumbled for words,  _"R-Red Leader sir, you look good, fantastic, erm, well..... **well!** "_

  Tord dignified this with the simple response of a single chuckle.The two stared in awe as he spoke in calm, crisp English, _"What are you doing slacking about, soldiers? We have a flight to catch."_

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter this time, but I'm getting back into my rhythm and honestly writing this makes me feel really accomplished. I SWEAR this is going to involve the Ellsworld gals soon, just give me like 500 chapters.  
> -Thanks for reading!


	8. Larry had a little shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens.

  " _Edd!! Hey, Eeedd...Can we go shopping_ there _?"_ The tall ginger pointed towards a brightly decorated boutique as he tapped the shoulder of his shorter friend.

  Edd smiled at his antics.  _"Matt, look at what you're carrying."_

 _"Huh?"_ Matt turned his head towards the ground, where his arms clutched a large bag with several items bulging inside.

   _"You need to pay more attention, Matt,"_ Edd grinned.  _"We were in that store five minutes ago. Now come on, we need to get this medicine home to Tom."_

  A few weeks had passed since they had seen the news report on the Red Leader. A harsh dread had settled around the three as they decided how they felt about Tord being alive. For awhile, the fact that Tord was dead had settled inside them, and they had been well distracted by the joys of moving into their apartments. But now, every emotion that had been set aside was becoming more and more relative, it was hard to keep an argument from spilling out among the friends.

  And then Tom got sick. His face began to burn and he could no longer shout without a sharp cough rasping right afterwards. 

      _"Just kill me now, Edd."_ He had moaned from the couch this morning after another fit of shivers. His present symptoms included a fever, sore throat, rasping cough, and over all a bloody bad attitude.

  For the first time in awhile, Edd had realized he would have to reclaim his throne as the mother hen to bring his friend out of this turmoil. Which meant he had to get Tom some medicine to reduce his agony. 

  Which meant he had to man up and get his lazy butt into town. Which, of course, was the perfect time to bond with his favorite ginger, who was pretty useless when it came to handling illness. 

   _"OOOH!! Edd, can we go here first?"_

Matt pointed excitedly to a shabby looking shop across the street. Edd shook his head and smiled.

   _"What could possibly draw you there? I can't even read the sign, it's so worn."_

But, eventually Matt's puppy-eyed pleading caused the shorter Brit to give in. What's the worst that could happen from a little more friendly bonding? 

  A "going out of business" sign came into view on the display window as they crossed the busy street to the building where the store was located. Pushing the door open, the two entered the shop to see a man with a dusty old apron packing the shop's wares in large cardboard boxes. Matt dashed with chipper confidence over to the man, whom Edd assumed most be the shops' owner.

  " _Hello stranger! Can I help you with anything?"_ Matt exclaimed. Edd silently groaned, this would no longer than he wanted if they got stuck doing manual labor. Tom needed his medicine soon!

   _"Oh, hello, Matt,"_ The man had already spoken. As Edd strolled over, he noticed that most of the store had already been packaged. Maybe they should just leave... 

  Wait a minute! How did this guy know Matt?!?!?

  Edd finally realized the man's messy head of blond hair looked very familiar. He jumped as his face came into view, a black leather eyepatch covering the entirety of his right eye.

  The man spoke again.  _"No, the truck won't be coming to pick all this up until 4:00, so you wouldn't have anything to do until then. Say, why are you here anyway? Didn't you read the sign outside? We're out of business."_

 _"Larry,"_ Edd blurted, remembering the name from the cloning incident.... _years_ ago!

  He turned around.  _"Hello to you too, I suppose I should have known that you idiots would still be living together."_

 _"What are you doing, working in a place like this?"_ Edd noticed he wasn't wearing the tuxedo he had seen him wear before, probably so not to ruin it with the dust swarming the air.

Larry rolled his single eye.  _"It's my part-time job, when The Director can actually handle himself for an hour. It was my grandmother's shop, and I was the only person in town she trusted to continue after her death."_

 _"I guess it didn't go so well!"_ Matt piped up.

   _"The shop went out of business,"_ He shrugged.  _"It was always more of just an extra liability to me anyway. Anyway, since you're here, I do need to get rid of all of this extra merchandise."_

Matt squealed. Edd grimaced.

   _"Erm, I don't know... You see, we need to get home to get To-"_

 _"EDD!"_ Matt was already tearing into the ducktape on one of the packages.  _"Look at these!"_ His arms burrowed into the cardboard.

  Edd sighed, and turned to Larry.  _"I suppose we could stay for awhile."_

Larry grinned suddenly.  _"Take it all if you want. Saves me shipping."_

 __ Matt made good on this deal, filling another shopping bag full of goods. Edd shook his head, striking up another conversation with Larry about the years gone by.

   He said that it was clear that they had changed a lot since they first met. Edd seemed less irritating, anyway. A bit smarter than when they first met, or better at hiding his stupidity.

 Edd frowned defensively. "A _lot_ has _gone by since your boss created that movie. And then cloned us, for more money,"_ He let his gaze shift to the floor for a moment.  _"I'm surprised you even recognized us."_

Larry nodded, his eye half-lidded in a comfortable indifference. _"I honestly forgot all about you until recently when your friend came trying to rent.....what was his name again? Blue sweats, no eyes...?"_ He didn't seem at all offended at Edd's discription of his boss's actions.

_"Oh, that was Tom....Tom!!"_

Edd looked down sharply at his watch. An hour had gone by. 

   _"Sorry, but we have to go,"_ Edd rushed over to see Matt gazing absentmindedly into a ornated mirror.  _"Matt! Only take what you can carry."_

 _"But Eeedd,"_ Matt whined. He begrudgingly out back the majority of the other items he had taken into their boxes, but he held firmly onto the mirror. Edd sighed, turning back to Larry. 

   _"How much for this?"_

Larry shook his head.  _"Take it. I never liked the thing, gave me the creeps."_

Edd wasn't sure what he meant by that, but looking back at the mirrors frame he saw some carvings on the frame that were little unsettling. A golden-eyed lion that snarled maliciously from the upper center caught his eye in particular. But hey, this was Matt's choice, not his.

   _"I wish we could stay and help you repackage the stuff, "_ Edd blurted out quickly, dragging Matt towards the door as quickly as possible.  _"But Tom's got a **really**  bad fever and cold and--"_

 _"Go,"_ Larry waved them off.

  Edd and Matt rushed out, letting the door slam behind them with a careless **bang.**

 

* * *

 

 

  Matt thrust the door to Tom's apartment open with Edd in tow, already rummaging into his bag for the medicine. Tom barely noticed. The TV hummed quietly, however Tom's entire attention was drawn towards it.

  _"Tom?"_

He sniffled, still not looking towards them. _"Come look at this."_

  Matt scurried over, having already laid his bags against the wall. He plopped down on the couch next to Tom and fastened his eyes on the screen, immediately transfixed. Edd reluctantly set the pharmaceutical box next to the rest, his heart given a painful tug as he turned to the screen.

  _"Is that...?"_

_"....Yes."_

_".....how long?"_

_"An hour. It's wrapping up now."_

  Tord sat impassively in front of a delighted reporter, speaking calmly as though he was commenting on the weather. He appeared as Edd had never seen him before, his frame held snuggly in a smart blue and red uniform. Half of his face was covered in faded, but fierce scarring. A red, ornamented eyepiece hid his right eye from view, but Edd imagined it was as deformed as the rest of that side of his face.

  The reporter spoke. _" Is it true that you're plans involve...hostility towards governments, even in larger countries, namely, Great Britain?_

 _ "My army has no interest in fighting battles it cannot win."  _Tord sounded as though he had been worn down, a dull irritation poisoning his words.

  The interviewer turned to the camera. _"_ _As_ _our time is up, we will leave that to your interpretation."_

  Edd tuned the outro out, Tord's cold voice still ringing through his head as he stumbled over to the couch. He sunk into the stiff old material, and interlaced his hand with Tom's. It was burning.

  _"Matt, can you go get the medicine?"_

  Matt rose _,_ and shuffled over to the corner. Tom turned to Edd.

  _"I barely even recognized him."_

_"Those scars.....are they from...?"_

_"You know they are."_

_"We left him there."_

_"I know."_

  Edd fidgeted. The hum of the TV stopped. Tom held the remote in his hand.

  He sighed. _"He probably doesn't even care. Now he looks even more like a terrifying warlord."_

_"....how long do you think he waited?"_

_"...Edd..."_

_"How long do you think it took before help arrived for him?"_

_"Edd."_

_"Do you think he waited for us?"_

_"Edd."_

_"Do you think he still believed in us?"_

_"Edd...."_

  Suddenly, Matt spoke up, having retrieved the box of medicine.

 _"_ _I don't."_

 

 

 

 

  

  

   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!  
> Sorry for being gone for so long, I tried to make this chapter extra long as compensation.  
> I've been watching the eddisode Spares again lately, so I'm introducing two new characters to the story :^)  
> -Thanks for reading!
> 
> Edit: I finally changed Larry's description from saying that he's American bc apparently he was actually voiced by Edward Gould rip


	9. Tord.exe has stopped working

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel like my grasp of Tord's character is both slipping and growing tighter at the same time throughout this chapter. I'm still missing something......

**Thud.**

 

  Tord reeled back, hissing in pain and grim satisfaction.

 

**Thud.**

 

He should know better than to do something as childish as punching a wall.

 

**Thud.**

 

  He should have known he wasn't well enough to take part in the interview. Just looking at the bright, flashy lights made his stomach turn summer-saults, and he barely kept a straight face.

 

**Thud.**

 

  He wondered if Edd was watching the news.

 

  **Thud.**

 

  Maybe Tom had seen him almost break down in front of the entire world.

 

**_Thud._**

 

  The neighbors in the hotel room across from him start yelling. He can't understand a word they're saying, but they make their point very clearly. Better turn to a quieter venting solution. Or just try to get some more rest. Taking a deep breath, he tries again to lie down. The hotel bed might as well have been made of granite.

  **_Do you know where they are?_**

  Tord rolls over, facing the hotel window, sucking in his breath. Paul and Patryk are out making arrangements for the emergency flight back to base tomorrow. Tord is on the second floor of the hotel. There is no possibility that anyone is in the room with him.

  He throws an unfortunate hotel pillow at the door for good measure. Then flicks on the lamplight lazily. He's obviously not getting any sleep tonight. A small notebook probably meant for the room service ladies leaves its resting place on the nightstand, immigrating to Tord's lap. He fishes for a pencil, finding one in the large pockets in his cargo pants.

  Unfortunately, Tord's shaking hands are not willing to produce more than a few messy sketches on the cheap paper. Tearing the strip he had defiled out of the notebook, he held it away from him with a disgust normally given to a moldy banana. The scrawled artwork stared back him with hearty disappointment. Tord balled the paper into a tight wad, letting it drop to the carpeted floor unceremoniously. He wrinkled his nose. This was why he never made his own hentai.

  Edd could spend hours on end drawing and planning his animations with skill even before Tord and Edd had first met. Even though he never admitted it, he had regarded Edd's talents with a sacred awe, the thought that someone could fit so much into so little time. With thoughts turned back to his old roommate, Tord sank miserably into his covers. Another aspect of his life he would never get back again.

  **Find them.**

  Tord actually considered it this time. How long had it been since he last saw them, the people he longed to forget?

  **Do you want to know what happens if you forget?**

  Yes, he does. He thinks he does. He never wants to feel the guilt anymore.

  **Find them.**

  _"Why? What good would it do?"_ Tord asks it out loud this time.

  **You want to find them.**

_"No, I don't. They don't want to see me either."_ They didn't even check the robot wreckage for him after Tom shot him out of the sky.

  _**You want to find them.**_

  Tord's heart thumps against his chest. His throat burns, and his head throbs. He needs to lie down.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

  It's surprisingly easy to find them, he thinks at approximately 1:00 in the morning. His travel laptop displays the various news articles on the robot attack, and the houses destroyed. He is surprised to find a casualty, a short man named Jon. Just another to the list of people he once been able to write off as a necessary sacrifice. Shaking it off, he manages to find the apartment they had moved to effortlessly. Too effortlessly.

  

  _Paul and Patryk,_

 _I am going out. I'll be back before_ _we need to leave. Call me if anything comes up._

_-Tord_

 

  He should be back before either of them enter his room, but at least they won't panic if they do stumble into his room for an emergency alert.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

  Tord receives Paul's urgent ring while clinging to the outside of a fire exit. Hanging from his ex-best friends' three- story apartment building. Why was he here again?

  He had planned to climb into Edd's room through the window. And then he slipped. The wind is filling his ears loud enough that the vibration in his back pocket is more noticeable than his ring tone.

 

  .....wait.

 

  He had forgotten he had left his phone in his back pocket.

  Maybe if he just pulled himself over the guard rail before it slipped out....

  _"....Whoops."_

  The wind stopped ringing in his ears just long enough for him to hear his cellular crash against the merciless pavement several yards down.

  Sorry, Paul, you're going to be waiting for that call back for a long time.

  Taking a deep breath, he slurped enough air into his lungs to pull his arms into a deadlock, hovering his body over the railing. Forcing his leg around the guard rail, he plopped to the safety of the fire exit with a short huff. God, how did he get in this mess?

  **Find them.**

  Oh, that's right, Mr. Spooky cloud of insecurity told him to do it. Tord silently begins to rant in his head.

  _That will sound **fantastic** to the **police** when he  **barges** through Edd's **window** for no particular reason. "Oh, hi, Edd, just dropping through to say hi! Do you have any snacks?"_

_How about steal **Ringo** while he's at it? Will that satisfy his drive to ruin everything in Edd's life?_

_What is he trying to prove to himself? That they really do hate him? Will watching them **spit** in his **face** solve all of this **paranoia?**_

  He takes another deep breath, his head still pounding from the exertion on his muscles. This was selfish. He knew it. He knew that now, that no matter how hard he tried he could never pay Edd, or Tom, or Matt for everything he had done to them.

  But old habits die hard. And to be honest, he just wants to feel in control again.

  **Isn't that what you want? To be in control again?**

**I'll show you what it's like to be in control again.**

  Tord reels back against the railing, another bout of adrenaline shaking his thick frame like a leaf. The voice is louder than he remembered. Closer. Memories come flooding back.

 

_**Now** he's on the battle front, harsh wind whipping through the stail air as his boots thrash against the muddy ground, vegetation worn away by the thousands of trampling feet. It's the day of the zombie outbreak, and his second best man just lost his eye. Patryk is a bubbling mess of tears, but no Tord. Tord is **alive** and nothing can stand in his way as he weaves a destructive dance through every undead creature. A path of blood and decay fills the eye of the storm as he thrusts the entire bulky frame of Paul over his shoulder, and takes Patryks's hand and leads him to the air ship like a kindergarten teacher leading a frightened child with a bloody nose to the nurse. He's everything he ever wanted to be and **more,** powerful and benevolent and in control of who **lives** and who **dies.** And this is not Paul's day to die, this is the day he will always remember his Red Leader caring for him the way he always cared for Tord. He brings him to the helicopter and calls for a medic, who comes, and Paul is safe, and fine, and forever grateful._

 

_How we wish to live in the past._

 

  Tord finds himself in the apartment room with a start, terror raking his bones as he brings his heels to the ground with a small **thud.**

  How.....?

  Without even trying, his feet shift towards the door of the room, and he follows the gut feeling with a horrified mystification. A short click, and he's successfully passed through Edd's apartment without a single painful twang of emotion, his body simply following a simple pattern until he found himself in the hallway, and supernaturally in front of a door only a few feet away.

....now what?

  Taking a deep breath, his hand reaches into his pockets. He's picked the locks on hundreds of doors before, but never has he done so having no idea whatsoever what lays on the other side.

  It swings open after a few horrible minutes of praying that nobody would catch him in the hallway. Imagine that, Tom pointing another harpoon at his face for being in their house uninvited.....

 What Tord comes face to face with is what he thinks at first is an art gallery. It is covered of elegantly framed pictures and brightly polished mirrors. Even a _fountain_ lies in the middle, although thankfully turned off at the moment. Then, Tord realizes every face in the pictures is the same.

  _This is Matt's room._

  The prickling urge to keep moving finds Tord wandering through the collection, sliding his hands against the walls for stability in the cluttered room. His hands scrap across a wooden door, and the sound of light snoring and shifting of covers warns Tord not to make a sound.

  It has been a long, long time since a mission had found him treading softly through quiet halls, the steady thrum of a heartbeat guiding him to his source. Usually he knew he had back up coming for him, and this level of terror was foreign to him.

  He loved it.

  Every victoriously soft step reminds him of the feelings he had felt in his earlier revelry, the feeling of dominance over his enemies. This satisfaction was quieter, more pronounced, as he felt through every step like a child being passed in a game of hide-and-seek. His enemies were once his friends, but the joy in this wit does not fade with this realization. He discovered in fascination that practically all of Matt's new life could be discovered from gazing at the pictures on the wall, various family photos, selfies of himself in clothes he fell in love with, dozens of pictures of himself with Edd and Tom. Tord smirkes, there is even a picture of Matt with bright gaudy lipstick, posing in a position meant to copy a supermodel. It was like meeting Matt all over again, staring at each picture taken from various places he held dear.

  Tord had never understood the ginger's hording habits when they lived together, but somehow losing his place in Edd's world made him realize the importance of treasuring every memory.

 

  **Whump.**

 

  Tord's heartbeat raced again. He forces his shaking body to remain rigid. The sound came from Matt's bedroom. A heavy silence weighs on his shoulders while he waits, hand still pressed against the walls. The sound of grumbling drifts in from the same place the noise came from. A few creaks in the floorboards alert motion, a small, muffled sound, and then more silence. Tord waits in anticipation until the realization hits him:

 

  Matt fell off the bed, got up, and went back to sleep.

 

  A chuckle escapes his lips before he can smother it, and he continues to pick his way through the apartment. The tug at his feet grows gradually more and more unbearable, until he feels his body urging him to a point that it is almost impossible to hold himself back from tearing the entire room apart in search of.....

....whatever he is looking for.

  A shock passes through his fingertips as he drags his hand across a squarish form propped against an adjacent wall. A cloth cover hides the object from view, but one corner is bared to his eyes, and even in the dim light it obviously more ornate that anything else in Matt's room. Which is a bold claim, as almost every picture in the room is framed in some sort of false gold. The tingling continues as he pulls the dusty brown cloth covering the object away and suddenly his entire body is _transfixed, transfixed_   by a _dazzlingly brilliant mirror._ It shines so bright that he worries Matt will wake, but when he tries to move his hand to re-cover it, he finds his hand only reaching towards the reflective glass.

 

 

  He yelps  as his finger passes through effortlessly.

 

 

  His surprise turns to horror when the tingling feeling from before turns into a scalding burning sensation, and in his shock he cannot pull back as his entire right arm is engulfed in the glass.

 

 

_Oh god, that was his good arm, too._

 

 

  Despite himself, he screams as the acidic energy spreads through his body, heart pumping, head pounding, something else inside him _laughing and yelling in bloody triumph as his head is pulled into the mirror._

 

  He thinks he hears a confused, _"Todd??"_ before his whole body is thrust into a swirling amalgamation of strobe lights and deep space, the air ripped mercilessly from his lungs as he plummets towards an unknown destination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,  
> I know its been a while since I last updated and it's going to be another long block of time before the next chapter is released. I hope this chapter doesn't seem too forced, I've been really stressed with some big tests that are coming my way like a freight train.....  
> and this chapter switches between past and present tenses a lot.  
> I think I've started to pace my action a little too quickly by a good writers' standards, and I hope none of these problems affect your enjoyment of the story!br />  
> anyway, the plot is finally picking up and the different character pov's are going to overlap pretty soon, so I'm pretty excited for what's to come in this fic  
> -Thanks for reading!


	10. Ultra-Communist Parenting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul and Patryk do what's in their job description.

 

  Paul shook his head as the call went to voice-mail again. He slumped back onto the unmade hotel bed.

_"This isn't like him at all. I'm going to track his phone."_

_"Paul...."_ Patryk began. He sat down next to Paul, rubbing his hand on the latter's back.  _"Nothing he's done lately has been ordinary behavior. You know how paranoid he's been. If he catches us tracking him, he's going to assume the worst."_

 _"I know....but isn't it worth the risk?"_ Paul sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He could use to cut it soon, since he never styled it like Patryk. It was even starting to form split ends.  _"If something happened, he need to be there when he needs us. That's the risk we signed up for when he became his second-in-commands."_

_"I don't like it."_

_"I know you don't, but what else can we do? We've waited all morning for a response, and he said on his note he said he would be back before we even knew he had left."_

_"....Alright."_

Paul began his search, tracking the various signals. It was difficult, since Tord rarely used his phone anymore. He only held onto it in case of emergencies. Finally, an incredibly weak signal came from somewhere in the middle of the city. The signal was motionless.

  The two exchanged glances. Either Tord had fallen asleep alone on some park bench, or his phone had been discarded. Neither was a good sign.

  _"......should I call a cab?"_

 _"That would be the ideal method for blending in."_   Patryk leaned back on the bed and sighed. _"We_ _should change out of these uniforms, though."_

_"....What do you have in mind?"_

_"Skitne tankene."_

  The two laughed as the stress that had began when Tord hadn't answered their first call the first time finally sank firmly onto their shoulders.

 

* * *

 

_"We'll get off here, thank you."_ Paul tried his best to mask his accent as he tipped the disgruntled taxi driver. He tugged at his red turtleneck uncomfortably. It looked odd partnered with the blue uniform pants he was wearing, but it was the only article of clothing he had brought to England that could be considered inconspicuous. Patryk had brought more, but they wouldn't fit Paul's larger frame.

  They followed the signal on Paul's laptop until they came to a stop in front of a small apartment building. The sun was beginning to set lower into the sky, and shadows fell dramatically behind the two men as they examined the tracker's readings.

  _"This is the spot."_

Patryk stepped forward, and jumped as he almost stepped on the object they were looking for. He crouched down, examining it in between his hands. Paul sucked in a deep breath as they examined the damage. He joined Patryk in a low squat, their backs facing the building they had found the phone in front of. The screen was littered with cracks, and anything displayed underneath them would be impossible to see. The phone itself, however, was still emitting a feint glow into the dim afternoon light.

  _"It looks like the case on this is the only reason it's even still functioning."_

_"How could this even happen?"_

_"It looks like it's been stamped on several times. Or.....it fell from a very high place."_

_"That doesn't give us many clues."_

_"It doesn't."_

They stood in uncomfortable silence as they assessed the situation.

_"Why here?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"Why would he lose his phone here, of all places?"_

_"Maybe someone recognized him. The police might have seen his face on all he wanted posters before. They would know that letting him keep it would put them in danger."_

Their conversation was put to a halt as the fierce chattering of a group leaving the apartment building wafted to their ears. They kept their heads down, focusing on the phone like it was the holy grail.

  _"Larry's gotta know what's going on."_ The first voice passed the two quickly, not even noticing their position.

  _"How do you know he knows Todd, Edd?"_ The second voice sounded out of breath, anxious.

  _"His name was Tord, not Todd, and Larry was one of the people who worked for the guy behind that cloning incident we've told you about." _The third voice was flat and accusatory.

Paul spared a glance around. The three separate voices belonged to three British men walking with swift urgency. Paul looked back at Patryk's face, grimacing.These three definitely knew Tord. Which means they could have been behind why he had gone missing.

  The three men began running down the street, their voices becoming incomprehensible. A car drove by as the two processed what they had heard. Another drove by, and Patryk pushed himself out of the squat. A third car passed by, and Paul sighed. He stared at the ground until a fourth car passed, then said,

  _"I think we know what we have to do."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually know how tracking a phone works don't sue me ok  
> This chapter was a nice escape from my stress in school. I've still got a lot breathing down my neck, but I hope this chapter wasn't any less interesting because of that! I'm very, very exiting for where my mind is taking this fic, hooooo boooyy....  
> -Thanks for reading!


	11. UPDATE

HOWDY! 

THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TO SAY THAT THIS FANFICTION IS NOT DEAD. IN FACT, IT IS VERY ALIVE. I WILL HOPEFULLY HAVE ANOTHER CHAPER POSTED IN, WORST CASE SENERIO, A WEEK. I KNOW THAT'S NOT VERY PROMISING, BUT I DON'T LIKE MAKING PROMISES.  
FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ARE STILL FOLLOWING THIS, I THANK YOU WITH ALL MY HEART. I SWEAR I HAVE A CHAPTER 1/2 DONE THAT I AM REVISING AND TRYING TO MAKE COHERENT. PRETTY PLEASE, STAY WITH ME?

 

TYSM FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THIS  
-THREEEYEDBUNNYTRASH


	12. in which the dialog is not compelling (Part 1.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't joking when I said Larry and Bing were going to affect the plot.

 

Edd stormed down the street, with Tom and Matt in tow.

  _"Are you **sure** you heard Tord screaming, Matt?" _ Tom hissed as the late afternoon sunlight hit his eyes.

   Edd had to agree with Tom's irritation. After the three had spent the day reflecting under drawn shades, the light outside the apartment was painful to tolerate.

  _"Yes! Well, maybe. It sounded like him....."_

  _"We're almost there anyway, Tom. If he thinks we're crazy,.....well, he already thought we were bonkers, so nothing will change."_

 _"I don't like this at all, Edd! What if Tord really **is** involved in all this?"  _ Matt frowned, a shadow falling across his face as he gazed towards his mismatched shoes. He had thrown them on in their hurry to get out the door. _"Can't we just forget it happened?"_

  Edd shook his head. His pace slowed, however, and his heavy breathing began to calm. From all the insanity in the group's adventures before, he knew that maintaining a level head was key to survival.

 _"We all heard that sound when the mirror started glowing. It was deafening. We all saw what this thing can do without its cover on,"_ Edd gestured towards the cloth they had haphazardly thrown back over the mirror. _"I don't know if he knows anything about what's going on, but Larry assists a scientist, remember? We just have to....convince him to help us figure it out."_

 _"I thought we were swearing off looking for trouble from now on."_ Tom finally cut in.

 _"Come on Tom,"_ Edd tried his best to put a smile on his face as they neared the store entrance. _"If an adventure comes to us, we have to face it, right? How cool could having a screaming mirror be, if it's just another weird magic object to add to our collection?"_

  This is fine. Maybe they all need a little excitement to push Tord's return behind them. If Edd could handle alien attacks and trips to hell by taking them in stride before his friend's betrayal, who's to say that being thrust headlong into another adventure won't be a good thing?

  But it wasn't the same as before. Deep down, he knew that the taste of adventure had become tainted the second Matt said he had heard Tord's voice in the mirror. Nothing involving Tord would ever be the same as before, no matter how hard he tried to deny it.

   Willing his nerves to still, he shoved the shop door open.

It crashed open under Edd's urgency, colliding with the wall and causing a small tremor to run through the wood floors. The silence provided no reaction to this course of events.

_"Uhhhhh....:"_

  Edd paused. _"What now?"_

  The three stood in silence as the empty room continued to be unresponsive.

  _".....Hello?"_

No answer. Edd groaned.

_"We don't have time for this."_

_"We still don't know  why any of this happened, so we do have some ti-"_

_"NO!"_ Edd grimaced at his own outburst. However, now that it had been aired, he had no idea how to pull back his honesty. Tom took a step back in surprise. _"No, Tom. I'm sick and tired of sitting and waiting while our brains get more and more wrapped up with the ass-"_

_"Do you really think that shoving ourselves off on some crazy brigade is going to fix this?"_

_"I don't know! Maybe?"_

_"I've never been much of a mental health person, but even I know drowning out your feelings isn't going to magically heal you."_

_"So what? I have to keep my feelings under lock and key, all the time?"_

_"You KNOW that's not true."_

_"YOU can go off and drink whenever we mention Tord, but I CAN'T-"_

_"PLEASE STOP!"_

 

  The two turned as Matt hollered. He shuddered, his eyes widening pleadingly at them _._

 

_"Can we please just go home? A-and never talk about this again?"_

 

 

  Edd looked away, shamefaced.

_"I'm sorry, Tom."_

Tom shrugged, but Edd could tell he was only feigning indifference. It had been a long time since they had gotten at each other’s throats like this, and their old arguments had left scars that were barely healed.

_"We can talk about apologies later. We're obviously not in the mood for heart-to-hearts."_

_“I’m really, really sorry, I should have controlled myself, I-“_

But Edd was cut off sharply.

 

 _“_ _**-** _ **_If_ ** _you’re all done settling your family crisis…..”_

 

  Edd yelped, jumping back from the approaching figure. Tom and Matt’s faces reflected a similar trepidation. How had anyone managed to sneak up behind them in such a small room….?

  The words came from a sour-faced Larry leaning against the back wall, head cocked slightly to the side. He waits a few minutes, then seems satisfied with their silence. He drums his fingers against the wall's paper-like material.

  _“Thank god, it’s like I was seventeen again.”_

 _“…..wuh?”_ Edd broke the silence awkwardly.

  Larry shook his head, the strange expression leaving his face. It was replaced quickly with his usual stiff annoyance. He crossed his arms across his chest, abandoning the wall to give them a firm scowl, then continue,

  _“Do you have a specific reason for coming to a bankrupt store at closing time, and expect it to be socially acceptable to start yelling willy-nilly?”_

Edd looks back at Tom, who gives him a pointed, _you were the one who decided to come here, you tell him,_ glare. So he turns back to Larry, and gives him a hopeful chuckle. The latter is not impressed, his eyes narrowing more (or from what he can see, since Larry’s eyepatch still covers most of the expression-telling section of the right side of his face).

   Taking a deep breath in, Edd tries to gather a reasonable genesis to their confusing tale. However under the gaze of everyone around him, he finally just says,

 

_“......To be fair, the door wasn’t locked.”_

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S MAKING THIS CHAPTER A TWO-PARTER???????  
> (Hint- it's me)  
> Instead of going straight into the usual point of view switch to Tord, the next chapter is going to follow the Edd, Tom, and Matt storyline twice in a row.  
> Sorry for the long wait. Writing this still excites me, but I've had a distracted mind. I hope none have you have lost trust in me. If you had any to begin with, I wouldn't be surprised.
> 
> -Thanks for reading!


	13. I am offically done.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this, I've had a blast!

Well, Howdy y'all.

 

It's been quite awhile since I first made this fic, and I was very happy with the support it got for along time. It's been a pleasure torturing you all with my ridiculously impossible Eddsworld continuation, and I had big plans for this fic. BIG plans.

 

But, I'm going to set them aside. I'm sorry to anyone who was enjoying this, but writing this has lost interest in my head in favor of some other projects. It's been fun, and it's been great practice for my writing, but with the way things are now I would prefer to drop this story.

 

Again, thank you to everyone who found this, enjoyed it, and kept coming back, because I love keeping y'all entertained and enraptured with the stories I come up with. If you stick around, you might just enjoy some of the other stuff I make.

 

If you want an ending to this, I guess I can make something up:

 the Edd gang said screw it, and went back home. He and Tom and Matt made popcorn and watched the world settle back to normal now that the Red army had no leader. Eventually they learn how to cope with Tord's betrayal, and go on to have more great adventures.

 Tord became a rockstar in his new mirror world, and went on to have a fandom that he called "the Red Army."

Paul and Patryk decide to leave the Red Army eventually, and run a small orphanage and live happily ever after.

The End.

 

Thank you all for reading this, Threeeyedbunnytrash is OUT!


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